'Prom fever!' Generations of Knoxville teens have dressed up and hit the dance floor
Styles and costs and music have certainly changed over the decades, but one thing remains: Prom night is a highlight of the high school experience.
Silver sneakers? Horse-drawn carriage? A record player spinning 45 rpm records? Knoxville proms from generations ago through this spring have had their own trends and worries that can make or break the big night.
Today's prom, short for promenade, has its roots in the debutante balls that were widespread in 18th- and 19th-century Europe, according to History.com.
The sort of prom akin to the high school dance we know today became popular in the 1940s, according to TIME magazine.
Early proms in Knoxville
The first Junior Prom at the University of Tennessee took place in 1927, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that year. It was held at Jefferson Hall, and planning was overseen by John Barnhill, the president of the junior class. In addition to UT juniors and seniors, 400 out-of-town guests were invited.
What did guests encounter at this inaugural event? "Several special dances will be on the program," and of course, "decorations are to be in orange and white," the News Sentinel reported beforehand.
Twenty years later, Stair Technical High School had its senior class banquet and prom at 6:30 p.m. May 16, 1947, at the Hotel Farragut, the News Sentinel reported. Austin High School held its junior-senior prom a week later.
'Prom problems': Woes of prom-goers past
"I'm sure a lot of girls are having my problem at this time of year. Is a 16-year-old girl old enough to be allowed to go to a senior prom with a boy, a nice boy, that is? If so, what time do you think is a fair curfew?" one individual wrote to the News Sentinel in 1965, under the heading "Prom Problems."
Yes, the respondent replied, she should be allowed, and "a fair curfew would be a reasonable time after the dance is over." Ask your parents, the advice continued, and be sure to return home before too long. "I don't approve of leaving the prom to go to another party and staying out practically all night!"
A 1981 story in the News Sentinel reflected on the rising price of prom. It listed tuxedo rentals as $32 to $50, dinner for $30, and gas for all that picking up and dropping off as at least $20.
In 1994, a prom committee member and prom adviser spoke with the News Sentinel about why they had decided to get involved with prom planning - mostly due to previous lackluster prom experiences.
"I graduated in '76, and my junior and senior prom was the pits," Janet Wuethrich told the News Sentinel. At Jo Anna Lochen's prom, the band never showed up. "They brought in a portable record player and spun 45s. It was horrible."
Prom meant a lot to Lochen, who also told the News Sentinel, "I think that, aside from your wedding day, this is the biggest day of their lives."
Prom fashion through the years
The average cost of a prom dress in 1981 was $70, but not every young woman was buying a dress. Instead, some were renting tuxes due to the lower price point.
"We rented to more women this year than any other. It's the uniqueness of wearing a tux. And most girls do look attractive," Dana Maples, manager at West Town Mall's Mitchell's Formal Wear, told the News Sentinel in 1981. Maples said women typically opted for a white tail coat, while their dates wore black. They'd both don top hats for the occasion.
In 1984, the News Sentinel reported that hoop skirts were a popular prom dress style. For men, top hats continued to be a fashion, while some were spotted carrying canes.
Fashion is and was the source of prom lamentations for many, and in 1994, a top fear was arriving at prom only to find your dress wasn't as unique as you'd once thought. "A friend of mine saw her dress 17 times in three hours," Farragut High School senior Amy Brock told the News Sentinel.
What was in vogue for 1995 prom dresses? "Side-slits, exposed midriffs, keyhole and deep-plunging backs, and the halter" would all be top looks for the year, Pamela Ashner, co-owner of Bridal Traditions predicted. "Styles are very simple and provocative, even for the very young girls."
The same year, Karen Waites, manager of the store Merry Go Round at East Towne Mall, said that four or five girls had mentioned plans to wear silver, high-top Converse sneakers with their dresses.
Prom royalty and extravagance
"Prom fever! It hits about eighth grade, subsides a bit while you try to be cool during your freshman and sophomore years. But come 11th and 12th grade, the fever reaches an acute high as the night looms closer," the News Sentinel reported in 1995.
The News Sentinel asked those indifferent freshmen at Halls High School what theme they'd want at their own proms. Answers ranged from the Boyz II Men song title "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" to "Toga Party." The actual prom theme at Halls High School in 1995 was "We've Got Tonight."
Now almost every prom crowns a king and queen, but the tradition wasn't always around. Bearden High School named its first prom king and queen in 1978, according to the News Sentinel. "I thought they would think it corny, but they love it," Bearden teacher Peggy Gregg told the News Sentinel in 1981.
How did students arrive at prom? Brock, the Farragut High School senior, told the News Sentinel about the extravagance she'd witnessed at prom in 1993. "There were four horse-drawn carriages at Farragut. Three couples rented motorcycles, like Harley-Davidsons, and came on those."
Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 'Prom fever!' Take a look back at decades of Knoxville prom traditions
